The Things We've Lost
by apples-a-day
Summary: Emma Swan hasn't had an easy life. Shuffled around foster homes for most of her life, she's been grateful for the companionship of her best friend August through all the tough times. They both found their true calling with Home Office. They work with them to find and break the curse. Once they discover Storybrooke, they're in for a very different ride than they had anticipated.
1. Victim of Circumstance

**Okay so I got this little plot bunny a few days ago where I started thinking, what if August hadn't left Emma? What if Home Office was an actual secret organization, not this really messed up Neverland ploy by Pan? And, what if Emma and August were part of Home Office?**

**And this is the ensuing fic that sprouted out! **

**I'll be jumping back and forth here and there, showing snippets to give you a background of what's going on before getting into the thick of the story. And just as an FYI Emma will be a tad bit more morally gray, but we'll see where things go!**

**I hope everyone enjoys this!**

* * *

Emma let out a sigh, lying down on the hard surface that served as her bed, hands behind her head, resting on the flimsy fabric that served as her pillow. She was in for another restless night, just as she had been for the past week, when she first found out she was pregnant.

The seesawing back-and-forth of whether or not she should keep the child was nagging at her. She didn't feel ready, but it wasn't as if she'd be alone. She had August who could help her, plus Tamara and Greg were around, so she'd have help.

Or at least that's what she thought, until August came to visit her earlier that day.

* * *

"No, you can't keep the kid."

Emma had been expecting a response of solidarity, that he'd help her with this difficult transition, or at the very most some doubts but eventually would give in to help. Never such a forceful denial.

"Why not? Is it because you were jealous of Neal?"

August, from the other side of the glass, sighed, clutching the phone tighter. "No Emma, it's not that. Just think about it for a second. Our job has us moving around a lot. Home Office don't look like the kind of people that offer benefit plans for single mothers. Do you really want to expose your kid to that kind of life?"

"We chose this life August! Plus do you really want to put this child through what we had to when we were in the system?"

"No, I'd do my best to guarantee that the child will be put in a good home. But the real question is, what do you want for the child?"

It was Emma's turn to sigh, as she thought the options out. After a few minutes, she said, "Their best chance. A chance for a good life filled with stability and the whole perfect family we never had."

August nodded, and then pressed on, looking directly at her. "And do you think that that kid can get their best chance with you?"

Emma's stomach sank as the answer made clear. A tear escaped as she faced the fact. "No."

August felt bad for Emma. She was his best friend, almost family to him. They had been together through it all, and now he was deceiving her. But it was for her own good. He had to protect her. Just like he always had.

* * *

_**1 month ago:**_

The abandoned parking lot was definitely on the creepy side, but he wanted to meet him somewhere where no one would look for him or could find out about this conversation. It was imperative that everything went according to plan, his proverbial cards stashed in his pockets and sleeves.

August saw Neal waiting, trying to warm his hands up by rubbing on them. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, clearly impatient. Seeing him, the con-man gave him a small wave.

"Hey man. What's up? You told me you had something important to tell me. Though you have to make it quick, I'm supposed to meet Emma with some things."

August nodded slowly. "That's actually exactly what I want to talk to you about. You gotta break up with Emma."

"What?" Neal raised an eyebrow, he clearly wasn't buying this. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Do you know what Emma does?"

Neal scoffed. He didn't understand what the hell this had to do with breaking up with Emma, and he needed to get going, but the graveness in August's voice kept him in his place. "She's a con-woman, just like me."

"Wrong. Have you ever heard of Home Office?"

"What is it like Office Depot or something?" Neal failed to see what the hell this man was talking about. So far nothing made sense with anything. August had probably had one too many to drink or something. He started to walk off, saying "Look man, I need to get going. If you want to talk again while you're sober-"

Neal sentence died on his lips as August grabbed his arm with a grip much tighter than he would've given the writer credit for. Looking once more at August to see what his damage was, he noted how intense the other man's gaze was. "You're not taking this seriously."

"_You're_ not making any sense man! You're talking about me breaking up with Emma and her working at this office store!" Neal was livid. Who the hell did this clown think he was?

"Perhaps I need to try another tactic."

Neal scoffed, "You think?"

"I know you're Baelfire."

Said man blanched, spluttering.

"Now will you listen to me?" It was a rhetorical question. He knew the other man would do anything now that his secret was out.

Emma was practically forgotten as Neal resigned himself to listen to everything the man had to say.

"Home Office is a powerful organization. You see, although this is the 'land without magic', there's actually a shit ton of magic artifacts and dangerous people with magic in their hands. The world wouldn't be able to deal with the consequences if it became public knowledge that magic was real. So, we get rid of them."

"Rid of them as in..." Neal made a movement with his hand as if he was slicing his throat off.

August shrugged. "It depends; I never ask."

"But I don't have magic... and if you know my story you know that it was Rumple-"

"Yes yes, the Dark One. Believe it or not I'm from that world. Emma too."

For the first time that night, a ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "Seriously? She's-"

"Not my topic of discussion right now. The point is that there's a folder with your name on it on my desk right now as a potential informant. I will warn you, informants aren't given 5-star treatments."

"So you're going to bring me in?" Neal gulped. He wanted to run but the vice-like grip on his arm was still there. August probably knew about his running habits. Emma had the same habits.

"You have a choice. The file only talks about Baelfire, but the one picture there is clearly of you. Here's my offer. You run far far away, breaking all ties with Emma Swan, never to speak to her again, and I let you walk free, and that file gets buried way deep in the catacombs that is the archives."

Something wasn't adding up to him. "Wait, why would I need to give up Emma?"

"Three reasons. First because I don't like you. Second, Emma and I are on a mission. Do you know why we're here, and not back in the Enchanted Forest?"

Neal shook his head. He had no idea but he was sure he'd find out soon enough.

"Our entire land was cursed. They were sent to another land to live a life of misery and unhappiness. Emma and I were able to escape before the curse reached us, and ever since then we've been trying to find a way to find them and break the curse. We're pretty sure they're in this land."

The con-man grimaced. "Sounds tough. Sorry about that, man."

"I don't need your pity. I need you to understand that you must never again try to contact Emma. Do we have a deal?"

Neal thought it over. "Not until you tell me what the third reason is."

"The curse was cast by the Evil Queen-"

"Never heard of her."

August gritted his teeth. "I didn't ask you if you did." He took a deep breath as if to compose himself, and then kept talking. "Continuing. She cast the curse that decimated our land and confined them to their doomed existence. However, the witch didn't make her curse. Rather she got it from someone else. The Dark One to be precise."

"Shit."

August ignored him and continued. "And how do you think Emma will react that her boyfriend's dad made the curse that took her from her family and forced her into a life of misery in the system?"

Neal tried desperately to think of a reason. "Because that was my dad, not me, I don't want anything to do with him. Why do you think I left?"

"Do you really think Emma will see it that way? Or what it'll do to her reputation when I bring you in? Home Office is already being kind enough by letting us join their ranks, and your involvement could doom her. The deal is what I said earlier. Either you take it all or I'll drag you to Home Office right now."

Neal knew this was a losing battle, and relented. "Fine. Deal."

* * *

Unfortunately that had also led to Emma getting incarcerated as Neal hadn't been there to pick her up. Of course, she didn't know that. August had fed her his own version that Neal had skipped town, leaving her to be the fall guy for his deal.

So she was stuck there for 11 months. She still had 10 more to go and no idea how to deal with the fact she'd be pregnant for about 8 of those months.

"Hey, I'll start looking around for places to take your kid, places that will guarantee a safe and good home okay?"

Emma just nodded, afraid to say anything else without crying. After a few minutes of silence as Emma willed her emotions back in, she finally said, "Thanks August. I don't know what I'd do without you."

They hung up their phones and Emma was escorted back to her cell, and once he couldn't see her anymore, he finally stood up. Although his methods were less than ideal, he did what he had to do. He was a lot angrier than Emma at having been torn from his home. As Emma had been a small baby, she didn't remember the life she had before, or even having parents. She had no idea who they were, they could be anyone in the Enchanted Forest.

August on the other hand, remembered Geppetto all too well, and he vowed he would find a way to free him from the curse. If it also included burning the witch on the way, he would gladly do it.

* * *

**And that was chapter 1!**

**So what does everyone think? Yay or nay?**

**This is a rehash of the show, but I promise it won't be verbatim in any way, shape, or form. I will be shifting some facts around to fit my story, so obviously things like August and Tamara meeting with the Dragon will be different, etc.**

**Also I'm not going to follow the whole August has to remain true to himself in order to stay a human, because really, it's impossible for any human being, despite how much they try, to be that altruistic. If there does exist, my hat's off to them. August is a human, and will continue to stay a human and his age in this story.**

**That also means that, like you saw, August will be a much shadier character. But he's NOT going to be an antagonist! He and Emma are both victim of circumstances, so they act like life has made them do.**

**I'd love for feedback so please let me know what you think!**


	2. Plotters

**Okay, this fic.**

**It's gotten a relatively mediocre reaction, but I don't like abandoning fics, so here's how it'll work.**

**I'll see how the reaction to this chapter goes, if it stays about the same, this fic'll be put in the backburner, and will take longer to update. Note that this isn't an ultimatum like READ IT OR ELSE, naaah I'm not about that. I'm just letting everyone know why it takes longer to update this fic than others.**

**But anyway! We're going to jump right into the future. Just shifting the story a bit, rather than being a bailbonds person, Emma is a Bounty Hunter for magical creatures with Home Office, but you'll read more about it further on.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**11 years later:**_

Emma practically collapsed against the door of her apartment, kicking off her heels. She was never going to agree to do this again.

"So how was the date?" August peered from her kitchen with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes before levelling him with a glare. "Terrible of course. You'd think a leprechaun would know when to give up, rather than hope the luck of the Irish will help him out. I still don't know how you guys got me to agree to this."

"Oh come on Swan, it's fun chasing the little buggers."

The glare continued as Emma grumbled, "'Little' is a bit misconstrued. The guy was nearly 6 feet tall and looked like he could body check half the restaurant with one run. Granted, he kind of did just that when he ran out."

Emma had walked over to the kitchen and graciously accepted the newly opened bottle of beer August offered. "So what happened afterwards?"

"I left him with O'Hara, guy's an expert in dealing with leprechauns, plus it's my birthday, I'm allowed to ask for favours like that," she responded with a shrug, sitting down in one of the chairs. Then she turned to her friend, donning a haughty frown. "And what in the world are you doing here? I don't remember inviting you."

August smirked at Emma and just took a swig of his own drink. "You know me, I heard there was a birthday girl here, and just had to visit."

Before she could rebut, someone knocked on her door. "Seriously? Don't these people know what time it is?"

"10 bucks says it's the weird cat lady."

Emma just sent him an amused look, and padded over to the door. Opening it, she was faced with a kid who was probably lost. "Uh...wrong door kid."

Completely ignoring her remark, he asked, "Are you Emma Swan?"

Her theories flew right out the window. She nodded before trying to think as to what this kid could want. Clients came to her through Home Office, so what was... "My name is Henry, I'm your son."

* * *

"I thought you said it had been a closed adoption!" Emma had left the kid sitting on the chair she had been occupying before the kid knocked, and had dragged August into her room with no tact, just a desperate need to make sense of the situation. "Operative word: closed!"

"It was!" August was just as flabbergasted as she was.

"Then explain to me how a 10-year old kid managed to find me!" She wasn't panicking, not at all.

August tried to think of some plausible answer. "I don't know! Maybe his parents helped him?"

Emma gave him a look that told him exactly what she thought of his bogus answer. No kid would come alone if that was the case.

Suddenly, they were interrupted with a question from the young boy, hollering from the kitchen. "Hey do you have any juice? Never mind! Found it!"

Emma shook her head, trying to think clearly. "Just let me handle this, okay? I'll take him back home and we can forget this whole thing happened, okay?"

"Fine, but be careful okay?"

* * *

_**14 years ago:**_

"Am I going to be in trouble?" Emma stood at the threshold of the rundown apartment August had taken her to, as if afraid that taking another step would sound alarms and have Social Services appear to drag her back. It wasn't that she thought her long-time friend would betray her like that, but in the past, every time she ran away they had found her, so she felt like she had enough reason to be wary.

"Nah, you're free now Em, if anyone asks, you're with me. I'm a legal adult, remember? No one will question me. If anyone asks, just say I'm your wacky cousin, and you're living with me." August grinned and held his arms out with a flourish. "Though it will help us more if you keep it low key, so come on in before the neighbours start asking questions."

She did come in, and it was everything she had hoped it'd be. She and August - when they had been in group homes together - would always muse about running away to live together and escape all the crappy homes they got put into. Of course, when August got set free at 18, Emma had been expecting to be able to run off with him, but her friend had wanted to get a bit of financial stability before taking her on.

So she waited. The original one month timeline had been delayed to 2 years because she had been sent off to a foster home with no way to contact August, or for him to contact her.

A couple of hours later Emma had settled her stuff down in her own room. Although all her belongings fit inside a duffel bag, with plenty of room to spare, it was almost like an act of trust to set her things down. Emma was a runner, and when she kept her stuff in her bag, chances were that she was plotting an escape to run far away as fast as possible.

Now both friends were sitting on the fire escape, August drinking a beer, Emma drinking Coke, though from its flat state, she guessed it had been in August's fridge for a while.

"Do you think we'll really find them?" Emma suddenly asked.

No explanations were needed to know what Emma was asking. "Yeah. We come from a land of happy endings, we'll find them soon Em. And then we can defeat that Evil Queen and find your parents, and my father."

She smiled. It would be sweet karma to be able to drive a sword through that bitch's heart. "What if they were killed? Collateral damage isn't uncommon, and if they were nobodies, who's to say the Evil Queen didn't just off with them?"

August shook his head. "I don't think they'd have sent you through the wardrobe portal if you or your parents were nobodies."

They fell into silence, each pondering. Then suddenly they heard a crash outside, and three figures running through the alley below them.

"You're cornered now!" One voice, a female, yelled out.

Indeed the figure to the right was cornered, while the two other figures - one of them had a gun Emma noted - were trying to grab the cornered silhouette.

And then, chaos erupted. An animalistic growl was heard and the silhouette attacked.

"Come on, let's help them." August said, jumping up and starting to run down the steps.

Emma followed along, exclaiming, "Which side are we helping?"

"The ones with the gun!" was the last thing August said before launching himself into the mass tangle of bodies.

Emma stayed behind, wondering what she could do. She saw a pipe protruding from the trashcan, and grabbed it. She wasn't exactly strong, seeing as foster homes barely had enough to eat let alone the equipment or facilities to help her physical strength.

"He's getting away!"

Suddenly the creature was charging away from where August and the two other figures were tangled.

Despite her lack of training, if there was one thing Emma was excellent at, it was baseball. Seeing the creature headed towards her, so she swung the pipe like it was a bat.

The dull clunk was a satisfying sound as the creature fell to the ground unconscious.

"Way to go Em!" August grinned, running up to her. Looking at the creature she hit, she was surprised to see fur. Lots and lots of fur.

"Werewolf, if you're wondering." Emma looked up to see the other two figures, a man and a woman. They were around August's age, and despite their winded and disheveled appearances, they seemed friendly enough.

"Huh. Didn't think there were any here." August said thoughtfully.

Although August was too busy glancing at the unconscious creature, Emma still saw the two others glance at each other hearing her friend's comment.

"I'm Greg, this is Tamara."

* * *

_**Present:**_

"So why'd you hunt me down kid?" They'd been on the road for hours now, headed to a place called Storybrooke. She had snorted in laughter when she heard it, and tried to ignore the feeling at the back of her head like she should know this place, or at least be wary of it.

"It's a long story."

"Well it's not like I've got anything else to occupy my mind right now."

She glanced at the kid and saw Henry looking like he was debating whether or not to tell her. It seemed he settled against the idea as he shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me right now, plus it's complicated. But what I can tell you, is that my mom is evil."

Emma's heart sunk. Evil? Her mind went to the countless of foster homes and the parents within them that abused their kids behind closed doors. But August had told her that the woman checked out. He hadn't told her much in order to prevent Emma from getting curious and going after the child, but he had assured her that the child was in good hands, and to hear this... "How long have you been with her?"

Henry shrugged. "All my life."

So this was the same woman. "What does she do?"

"She plots." Emma had been expecting a more descriptive answer, but hearing only the two words, she chanced another glance at the child. "Plots? That's her big crime?"

"You don't understand! She's evil!" Now she was sure the kid was nuts. Since when was plotting evil? If it was, the kid had gotten out of the frying pan and into the fire, because she was a plotter.

"Kid, I'm sure you have this perfect conspiracy theory, but right now, if you're not going to explain to me what it is, why don't we leave that topic for another day?"

"You asked." Henry scoffed, but agreed. Cheeky little shit he was. "So who was the guy in the apartment?"

"A friend."

Apparently her answer must not have been too convincing, because he responded with, "It's okay, you can admit you have a boyfriend, my mom has one too, but every time I ask, she always says he's just a friend."

How was she to explain to a 10-year old kid that she didn't do dating or boyfriends, or girlfriends for that matter? Or the fact that this mysterious boyfriend of his mom's was probably a friend with benefits. "Kid, I don't have a boyfriend."

He didn't believe her, and instead just looked out the window. After a beat, she asked, "Is your mom's boyfriend okay?"

A shrug was the primary response, followed by, "I guess he's alright. I don't see him often, he's the Sheriff. But he's a bit stiff, like he doesn't have any emotions."

"Sounds like a charming guy." Emma was dreading having to spend more time than necessary in this town. She was going to drop off the kid and not look back. Tomorrow she'd try to see if Home Office had any brain bleach.

* * *

"You're Henry's birth mother?" Emma's heart clenched at how devastated the other woman sounded. If she was supposed to be evil beyond plotting, she was a damn good actress, because not even she could see the malignant streak the kid had babbled about, and her entire life revolved around catching slippery magical beings that thought they were all that because they were powerful.

"Hi," she attempted to flash a disarming smile. How in the world could she convince this woman that she wasn't here to intrude?

"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

Emma let out a laugh, because really, who'd have guessed the -very attractive, she might add- mother of her child wanted to share a drink with her. "Got anything stronger?"

* * *

**And that was this chapter!**

**I'm sorry if it felt like I was jumping around, but I really didn't want to rehash the entire ep, and the story'll be shifting drastically. Next we see what happens with the drinks, the day after, and Henry's theory!**

**Just as a clarification, no August won't be a romantic interest for Emma or vice versa. They don't see each other exactly as siblings, but as close as friends could get if they weren't related.**

**Other fics to be updated are Date in the Name of the Law and A Thief in the Night!**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this!**


End file.
